According to two separate studies, Truvada, the treatment manufactured by Gilead can potentially prevent HIV in individuals at higher risk of developing the infection. On the basis of data presented by both the studies, the pill appears to be working effectively. As per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Truvada is likely to reduce the risk of HIV infection by 92%.

In the United States, the Truvada pill was approved for ‘pre-exposure prophylaxis’ (PrEP) of the AIDS – causing HIV – and can decrease the risks of the infection. The treatment is for the people who do not have the virus so far, but even then they are at substantial risk of getting it. The infection can be prevented by taking the treatment every day.

The first study from San Francisco included 657 different men most of them were gay and bisexual who used Truvada between 2012 and 2015. The study participants were members of the Kaiser Permanente health care system and belonged to age group of 20 to 68 years.

At the time of evaluation, the participants didn’t show any new HIV infections, but half of them showed new sexually transmitted infections (STIs), indicating that they were still conducting high risk actions.

The second study, performed in the UK, focused on homosexual men. The data found that the ones who started on Truvada showed lower HIV infections as compared to those who stopped taking the pill for a year.

As per the study results, 86% of the participants showed a decrease in symptoms provided by the virus. The group taking the pill showed one to two new HIV infections per 100 patients per year, whereas the other population presented nine new infections per 100 participants every year. Both the studies didn’t show any noteworthy concerns with the use of daily oral Truvada.